Is it worth the trip?
80Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: Wind 3 kn gusting 9, Air 23 °C
Wed 4 · 89 out of 100
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 20°C
- Rain
- 8.1 mm
Thu 5 · 85 out of 100
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 21°C
- Rain
- 2.7 mm
Fri 6 · 80 out of 100
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 16kntoo gusty
- Air
- 21°C
- Rain
- 3.4 mm
Sat 7 · 32 out of 100
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 18kntoo gusty
- Air
- 19°C
- Rain
- 20.7 mm
Sun 8 · 81 out of 100
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 19°C
- Rain
- 0.6 mm
Mon 9 · 91 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 23°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tue 10 · 66 out of 100
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 17kntoo gusty
- Air
- 18°C
- Rain
- 30.6 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 388, good
- Wed 489, good
- Thu 585, good
- Fri 680, good
- Sat 732, poor
- Sun 881, good
- Mon 991, good
- Tue 1066, good
- Wed 1139, poor
- Thu 1284, good
The spot in one fact
- Best Feb–Apr7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 88, good | 5 kn | 10kn | 20°C | 1 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 89, good | 5 kn | 16kn | 20°C | 8.1 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 85, good | 7 kn | 16kn | 21°C | 2.7 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 80, good | 6 kn | 16kntoo gusty | 21°C | 3.4 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 32, poor | 7 kn | 18kntoo gusty | 19°C | 20.7 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 81, good | 6 kn | 13kn | 19°C | 0.6 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 91, good | 3 kn | 9kn | 23°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 66, good | 6 kn | 17kntoo gusty | 18°C | 30.6 mm |
| Wed 11Nov | 39, poor | 8 kn | 19kntoo gusty | 21°C | 1.8 mm |
| Thu 12Nov | 84, good | 5 kn | 15kn | 18°C | 11.4 mm |
| Fri 13Nov | 95, good | 3 kn | 7kn | 16°C | 0.3 mm |
Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. More
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Feb–Apr
Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for new paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.
Map
the spot and its town
Taumarunui Canoe Hire and Jet Boat Tours on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Taumarunui Canoe Hire and Jet Boat Tours
A launch. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. For new paddlers the best months are usually February, March and April, with about 7 good days in 7; in July and September, about 5. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Taumarunui.
- Grade No grade is stated.
- Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
- Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,790–US$3,420 each
about US$1,790–US$3,420 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, kayak hire.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$832–US$1,720 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$342–US$570 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$302–US$564 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$181–US$329 |
| Total | about US$1,790–US$3,420 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Taumarunui
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 min by car · 7 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Taumarunui its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$127 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 28h 50m
About 28h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 4h by road
Flights MDW → AKL on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Taumarunui · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Taumarunui · GetYourGuide
Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby
No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 25 km.
Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.